New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-26
A GENIAL PHILOSOPHER.
THE Bp,aHT SIDE OF THINGS.

d Bart, " p f. r. :, d. c. L.. LIZ ID. i6nO. PIP.
100 Macmillan * Co
Jcdgiug rom some remarks in his preface Sir
john Lubbock wrote most OF the addresse' whieI
make az this vola,ne somewhat more in correction
Of isnseacy TO low spirits IN himself than because
he thou ghi he was giving practical advice To tho
various Institutes at whose meetings iaey were
eea.i. No doubt tn" advice in itself is wholesome
sn,l sonud from au -hsract point of view. the
subjects treated are Tn Duty of Happiness"
aIle Happiness OF Daty."" The Choice of Books"
Tue BLESSING OF Friends" The Value Of Time"
! The Pleasures of Travel" "Tbe Pleasures OF
] Home" Science" aad Education" On all thee
toirs Sir John discour-es pleasantly and in
ycuia spirit. making extended citations from
Fp,cfetus. Marcus AnreliuS. Ruskn and varons
poets. hut nowher,. save in the chapter ON Science
going beyond the mild favored armchair phi ios-
ephv proper e'derly gentleman of high culture
posses. ng hravy hank account and unfamiliar
with tae ce,nL.on difficulties which are due 10
straItrned circumstances the little volume may
be crived agreeable AMI polished Jea desPr",
Int scarcely makes conta' at any point with he
serion soc al questions which are being discussed
everywhere.
Take, for exauple the duty OF happiness The
doctrue OF content taue ut by the eminen banker
and scientist is that OF ZIP ceus and lie is brought
forward as proof that il is possible TO be happy
venting almost everything, for instance. person
al freedom, honr family. possessions OF every de-
SCRIP ion Let il he granite that Epcto.nS spoke
with entire frsnknrss and sincerity wien he
baasei of hi, superiority In his circums anoe& Is
the character oi Epictetus common in these days
aud the 50 situate as I, favor tie deSel
upment Of such chaarctersf To tel OF the duty OF
h,ppiuess To- the ,utllious who have never known
any condition hut that Of unintermtted toll whose
associations are ant always have been sorlid aud
SiSt for
In drb,sing indulgence. ami who are steepei IN
Ignorance q the li,s, must see mockery. And II
Is TO DE observed that tina philosophy of tpctetuS
is 3plc bic 10 ocety for tue conc 3sive retson
that II IS based the principle OF Segregation
The Greek was a solitary by election, AMI had het
not tor gone Ike the Pleasures and possibilities
OF The family life he could not have preserved the
Independence which con>titrted his strength ana
supported his tranquility We have bnt t" Imagine
HIM ,uarriei and the Foundation of his Dhilo-ophy
dissppears Tie is lcng-r free of spirit. lie can
40 longer content himself VITA the ground for bed
single old cloak Tor clothing. the casual crust
for snsterance. At once he is burdened with
load OF crOwaIg cares The lives OF others become
his charge. His peace OF mind Is gone. lie Is at
one with the rngelng mass wh"st STATE lie
formerly comuiscrItet IN more than haIl-coh'
t~mptGons manner The modem follower OF
Epict-tus who knows not poverty. whose every
.oirows are softened cannot bring sVmpathet!c
message to the great majority who made incapa
bic of conpr eli nding happiness by the rigor OF
their circumstances
Nor indeed do they receive with any feeling OF
aup,oyai the adv ice which offers them content
on hard condition OF 'ti>fyine them Ives with
the share Of lies pleasures which has ialicn 10
them. lie tests az that never felt wouni.
He philo.ophizes lnently upon a'lcvIations oil
poverty w 40 MS never felt the iron eater his soul
PessimIsia hears in itself strong testimony to the
Observation-Disclosures Of those " no exc1cita;ed that
view of life. II is at bottom only passionate
protest AGAINST the unmerlted an inlliedc1ble
mfferincs which so large Proportion OF sentent
beings endure Optimism IS naturally the creed CT
the pr;ze-S lnners Every Nun judges the far as
his own traue Las goue - IT," Because 20 many
more make bad bargains than good ones the
>Imist view of th continues TO find support,
no matter how earnestly II IS combattel IL sur
wives because is founded in facs, ana because no
argument however Ingenious can reconcile men 10
those facts, To IN Ike good optimistic showing IL
is necessary keeU well out Ut sight all Tue seamV
aide of things; Dui ths arrange cement has The dissd-
vantage of eliminating Practically from the argu-
nent And thi, is the impressi N produced by Sir
John Lubbocks genial philosophy. One feels I'M
peled to catechze the sta alton more imrcrativey
for the reason at the here given OF 1t Is %
cne-sidrd. One suSUects that there IL someth ng
fup amentaily wrong about defence OF the pleas
mes of life which completely leaves ont OF tn"
account all the hiBdranceS 10 pleasure IN lie Inc
SAYING that with oil wood to burn, Old vile to
drink, old books to read md old friends to meet
lite is enjoyable, does not PROBABLY sinNe tie
average modern man As ir the line Of revelation or
even of tfulsm 1t strikes him possibly appl ca
lie to 4 te of exi steuce which may not 0e incon
eeiyahle 10 him. bat is certainly quite beyond the
bounds OF his experience
Sir John Lubbock might say that he spoke and
wrote only Tor such audiences " ut but few as
could apprccinis AIS philosophy Tut IN fact lie
spoke TO popular audiences, ami literature today Is
more democratic than ever The Judgment 10
VIII ch he appeals is that of The common people, and
il is to them lac tenders his advice WHAT the
pleasures Of life ara TO an accoml'i shed ana
wealthy inan is tolerably well known Int IN how
many of these pleasures, can the Demos SHARE
Thers has been OF ate wears wide discuss OF this
and cognate qmssiions. Mr. Mallock wrote bril-
liant volume on the consderation-ls l. fe Worth
Iivine7 But he examined it almost entirely from
tie poiut of view OF the minority-the small
minor ty-of elucatel people win strongly htei-
lectual tastes. aud tas might have been expected
pernaps) lie concluded his exam nation W IN an
ipconseauence deserving 10 be termed "l!d III vas
amusing. interesting, but AFTER all ~ WAS not a
practical treatment of the question. 10 get an
snswer to the ques ion--ls life woth living tue
opinions OF the majority must be sought; and the
moment an attempt is made 20 ascertain that "pin-
ion new difficulty will arise. 1t will be discov-
cred then that there great many people IN the
world who have nothing whIci can be called an
opinion ami who are in tact incapable oil consider
ing. much less of resolving, ang taI-reaehing qnes-
ton so the circle will be turned fall oay TO man
fist untituess IN the bulk and bias in the sample
SIR John Lubbock will not be read by tho
nasses probabv V. and he will not he found far